Britain Targets Programs For Muslim Women

Muslim women in Great Britain continue encountering cultural issues that impair their integration within british society. For example, Aishan Azmi, a teaching assistant in a primary school, was suspended for wearing a veil that only allowed her eyes to show. The school felt such attire interfered with her ability to teach English to children. In another case, Samina Malik, wrote poems on the Internet glorifying martyrs and beheadings. She was subsequently sentenced to a nine month suspended sentence. Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain criticized the ruling claiming, “many young people download objectionable material from the Internet, but it seems that if you are a Muslim then this could lead to terrorist charges.”

The British government is allocating nearly $200 million on programs for Muslim women. Women will be encouraged to get into education and career opportunities that will get them integrated within British society. A majority of England’s Muslims are from Pakistan and Bangladesh, two groups that are m ore isolated than other immigrants. Shaista Gohir, chief executive of the Muslim Women’s Network responded positively to the new government initiatives saying, “It’s not about women becoming investigators(and spies). It’s about giving them a greater role in public life.”

Among the greatest challenge to this initiative is confronting with language barriers which have held back Muslim employment in England.